Andrew Abbott's Blog

Monday, 23 March 2015

Back on the rails, in Wales.

It was on to the radio for me last Tuesday after BBC Radio Lincolnshire invited me to take part in the phone in preceding the away game at Alfreton. You get the impression that the callers are selected at random from people who call in and calls are encouraged during the programme and the ones before. The reality is that at least some are arranged previously and those “callers” are in fact phoned by the BBC at a prearranged time. That’s certainly the case with me. In fact I’m the last person to call in to a phone in.

I don’t get home till after six so I usually request a call at about 6.30 and, once called you have to turn your radio off to avoid interference but that’s not a problem as you get put through to the studio and you can hear the program though the phone. The only problem with that timing is that all of the previous callers have had a good go at the subject although the time before last, which was the ill-fated previous go at the Alfreton game, which was also a rearranged one studio anchor man Rob Makepeace led me in with a quote from this blog so that was quite gratifying and gave me a subject but this time the question was what was my take on recent events?

On before me was a very depressed sounding Steve from Skegness who I’m guessing was prominent fan Steve O’Dare who I would have thought was also canvassed by the station to go on air rather than a casual caller. Steve once took me to task for being too downbeat when I was writing for Give me Football, the online magazine of the Professional Footballers Association after I had suggested that City fans were getting nervous at the prospect of City slipping out of the league as they were painfully aware of what a long and tortuous journey it would be back. I think I’ve been proved right on that one.

On to my comments and I must admit I got into my stride at this point and my wife said it was my best radio performance to date. I think some of the previous callers believed the Imps would not garner any further points at all this season and I said I refused to believe that. I commented that this was not Chris Moyses’ team and we should wait until he has had a chance to assemble a squad before jumping to conclusions. I repeated Moyses own assertion that already City were not in a relegation battle which was in itself a welcome relief. Talking of relief my comments were fully endorsed and agreed with by studio guest Mark Hone and no one else rang to say I was a fool so my radio career goes on, or at least will do so if Radio Lincolnshire e mail again.

As we know City got a draw that night and followed up with another draw on Saturday so there you go. It’s a wonder I don’t win more on the lottery with predictions like that. Two draws are hardly world beating but for me it does show that the manager is capable of turning round a bad situation and I’m certainly not writing him off yet. Home form does need addressing though, you don’t need to be Gary Neville to work that one out so Saturday will be another testing day for our management team.

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About Me

I began writing with Give Me Football, the official website of the Professional Footballers Association. I have also written for Lincoln City Mad and Lincoln Vitals. I also collaborated on Deranged Ferret, a Lincoln City fanzine. I ride my bike, grow vegetables and bake bread.Occasionally I'm on BBC Radio Lincolnshire Sports Special.
Follow me on twitter @andrewhykeham